Pulling on Leash

It’s always unfair to punish a dog more than you praise it.  Maintain a positive training atmosphere by praising them when they’re acting well, which is most of the time.

Training a dog to walk politely on leash is very easy, but not if you’re trying to go somewhere.

Walking a dog on leash is no simple exercise.  If you want to enjoy walking with your dog, it’s worth taking some time to teach them how you want them to walk with you.

If you lose your dog lags behind, the best way to get them to follow is to make noise and hurry away from them.  Use food lures to keep their attention, but only reward them with a treat when they do an excellent job.

As your dog learns to maintain a loose leash you can start stringing more and more steps together.  Keep praising the appropriate behavior, and correcting the bad behavior and soon you’ll be walking your dog happily on leash

After taking a single step, the dog is likely to get excited and may start pulling on the leash again.  Keep praising the loose leash and gently jerking the tightened leash until they leave it loose for several seconds.

“Steady” means we want a loose leash.  If they tug on the leash, say “Steady” and tug back.  If the leash is loose, praise the dog.  If the leash remains loose for several seconds take a single step and repeat.

Laura Enos demonstrates how to keep the leash loose, and give your dog a warning when they begin to stray.  If they’re not paying attention, give them a warning, and if they don’t respond, try yanking the leash or abruptly changing directions.

It’s good to make a distinction between walking and heeling.  A heeling dog should be actively paying attention to you, while a walking dog can sniff and roam a little.